Robin

It had been at least three days since Robin had ventured down into the caverns with Mae, and just as long since she’d seen her. Wrestling with her feelings of being lied to, the princess didn’t want anything to do with her. She hated nothing more than liars, though in the same breath she was slightly thankful there were at least others making moves to try to stop her father's plans.

Maybe Kova had been right, maybe she could really make a difference. With the spies doing her bidding and gathering information for her, there might be a possibility of stepping in. If she had the courage, though. She could have laughed at herself — when had she ever had the audacity to do something against her father's will?

It was probably about time she started to.

Kova nudged Robin in the side, their red head tilting. “What’s gotten into you? You’ve been awfully quiet,” they said. After the fire in the arena, and after the cave, Robin had found Kova safe inside the castle with the rest of the royals and their staff. She wasn’t sure what she would’ve done if she’d lost her closest friend.

She still hadn’t told her about Mae, though. It felt like an important secret to keep. Regretting keeping it wasn’t an option, if they wanted to move against her, then they would. She hoped her being a princess, with access to more than anyone else in this court, was enough to sway them to work alongside her.

It didn’t help that she found Mae beautiful, either. Robin wouldn’t mind keeping her lies if it meant seeing her. Not that she’d seen her in a few days, but still. She was beginning to enjoy her company. Was Mae just as charming as Runea, or had the entire lie of being the princess of Diamandis included her personality too?

Her heart fluttered. Hopefully not.

She waved her friend off. “I’m fine, I just have a lot on my mind.”

Kova frowned, pushing their lips downward. “About what?”

Robin groaned. “We were attacked only a few days ago,” she said. Half a truth. “There’s danger lurking in this castle, and I don’t know what it is.”

Her friend snickered. “There’s always danger in this castle.” They weren’t wrong, though. Every shadow held it’s secrets, and every painting it’s lies. It hadn’t been the first time an attack had been launched on the court.

The luncheon was filled with snickers and gossip. Every person who passed her tried to indulge her in what she knew about what had happened a few days ago. Everyone had retired to their rooms, avoiding everyone else. A few of their guests had left, not wanting to have anything to do with the violence. More stayed because they were too curious.

The petite woman from Amethysia sat herself down at their table. She folded her hands in front of her. Robin was almost envious of her confidence. She was an unblessed woman in a court of monsters, yet she had the confidence to sit in front of the princess. Good.

“Are you alright, your highness?” Jessie asked, craning her head across the table. She nodded toward a group sitting a few tables away. Robin looked over her shoulder at them, and they quickly went back to chattering amongst themselves when they realized they had the princess’ attention. “Everyone’s too afraid to ask. If you need anything… we are here for you.”

Robin reached across the table and patted the woman’s hand. The Amethysian’s eyes widened, looking down at her hand where Robin had just touched her. Smiling, Robin said, “I assure everyone I am fine. Actually, I ran into Runea, of Diamandis, and she helped me to safety.” There, see if she could get any information by speaking of Mae.

Jessie nodded. “Yes, I was sitting near Runea before everything happened. She was very kind. Did she make it out alright? I haven’t seen her at the luncheon.”

Was Mae alright? They hadn’t spoken since she’d discovered who she was. Actually, the princess hadn’t seen her at all. It wasn’t like Robin could outright say why she’d been avoiding the woman, though.

“She’s perfectly safe,” Robin conceded a half-truth.

Jessie nodded and let out a breath. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it as she changed her mind. “Good,” she said after a moment. “I was worried.”

“Because she’s also unblessed?” Robin asked. Kova’s heel dug into her leg as they kicked her. Robin glowered at them then turned back to Jessie.

Slowly, Jessie nodded. “I only speak this outright with you because I have seen your treatment of the unblessed, princess. There is a fear in the gem kingdoms -- and especially within the court. It took me hours of telling my advisors to not send me back to Amethysia after the event in the arena.”

“Of course.” Robin leaned forward at the table, and wagged her finger at Jessie, coaxing her forward. As she leaned in, Robin cleared her throat and put on the softest whisper she could muster. “Be careful in the court, Jessie. My father’s word has a lot of power here, and I wouldn’t want you, or anyone else, on the wrong side of it. There are more forces at work here than even I know of.” Robin leaned back into her seat and folded her hands in her lap.

“Don’t go scaring the woman,” Kova grumbled as they took a sip of their drink.

Robin would have to have a talk with Kova later, to fill them in one what she could. She may not be able to tell her advisor the whole truth, but maybe she skim parts of it. Their ideals were the same, and Kova had been the one to suggest maybe she should start doing something.

Jessie smiled. “Thank you for your warning, princess.”

Robin waved her hand. “Please, we don’t need the formalities here. Just call me Robin.”

Nodding, the Amethysian said, “Robin, then.”

With everything happening, Robin started thinking of all the things she could be doing. She didn’t know what her father’s plans were exactly, she was never included in meetings or conversations. What she was sure of, though, was something huge was going to happen at the end of the festival. If she wanted to make moves against her father, or start to, she needed to at least know she had support.

“Jessie, will you do me a favor?” Robin stared at her, meeting her gaze.

“I… Yes, of course. What is it?”

Robin took a deep breath and glanced at Kova once, hoping they wouldn’t scold her later for this. “Not everyone is comfortable communicating with me, I know. But would you be willing to listen for me? Listen to what people are honestly thinking of the festival, the other visitors, and let me know?”

She wasn’t sure how much she could trust Mae with bringing her information, so it would be a good idea to have another person on the ground for her. Her heart thrummed as she thought about it all -- was she really willing to try to spy on her father’s people to see if she could stop him in his tracks?

“Of course, that should be easy,” she said. Jessie leaned her elbows on the table and spoke softly. “I do know, some of the visitors are uncomfortable. We haven’t gotten word about what had happened in the arena yet. Well, nothing definitive, and it’s making people squirm. There’s… not a lot of trust.”

“Thank you, Jessie,” Robin said.

Kova cleared their throat, glaring at Robin for a brief second. Then they looked to Jessie. “We appreciate your help, we know how difficult it can be to be in court. Understanding our visitors feelings can help us in making their stay more hospitable.”

The princess could have rolled her eyes, but she forced herself not to. Hospitable. She was a princess, and her version of politics wasn’t supposed to be about war and violence -- it was supposed to be parties and favors. Sometimes, a simple word or a drink could change the course of a war.

If that’s the role she had to play, then she’d play it well.